When ten-year-old Cyrus sees a For Sale sign plunged into his front lawn, it’s a complete and utter disaster. Usually, his younger brother, Rudy, is the scaredy-cat, but for the first time in his life, Cyrus is terrified. He’s lived at 637 Petunia Boulevard since he came to live with his adoptive mom and dad at two months old. Won’t he go hurtling into outer space without these four familiar walls to hold him in? Luckily, Cyrus has a few sneaky tricks up his sleeve to stop this moving business before it even gets started.
Every year, Radim's family has a delicious carp for Christmas dinner, selected from the huge wooden barrels that line the streets of Prague in December. But this year, when Radim sits by the bathtub feeding breadcrumbs to the fish that his father has chosen, he sees more than a delectable meal. In Carl the Christmas Carp, Ian Krykorka writes a story drawn from his mother's childhood and from life in present day Prague as well. In the vibrant illustrations, Vladyana Krykorka lovingly recreates the city of her birth and her youth, down to the last glorious detail.
Johnny Maverick and his friends play for the Timberwolves peewee hockey team in the small town of Howling. Tom Morgan has just moved from Toronto and is a talented player. Tom is also very competitive and seems determined to pick on Stu Duncan, who is slightly overweight. Johnny suggests a race between Tom and Stu. Tom eagerly accepts; Stu is reluctant but Johnny convinces him to trust his best friend's advice. On race day Tom is surprised by both the race and its outcome and learns that teamwork pays off. The Howling Timberwolves series of Orca Echoes early chapter books offer lots of sports action and humour that will appeal to young boys.
Nick and Kia get excited when their school gym teacher announces a "three-on-three" basketball tournament. The two most dedicated players in grade three, they know they'll be tough to beat. But when Nick finds out they'll be up against teams in grade four and five, he is ready to throw in the towel before they start. How can shrimps like them ever hope to beat the older kids? Kia, however, is undaunted. They need a third player for their team anyway, she reasons, so why not go after the best player in the school? Marcus is bigger, tougher and in grade five. But it's not as easy as Kia thinks to convince Marcus to join their team. And there's no guarantee the older boy won't change his mind before the tournament begins. Marcus is often uneasy around them, but worse, Kia and Nick find themselves making enemies of some of the kids in the upper grade. Nick realizes it's going to take more than skill at basketball to win this tournament and make friends with Marcus without becoming targets for the older kids off the court. Book 1 in the series.
Murphy and his three friends, Danny, Jeff and Albert, are making the transition from the tribal elementary school to the community middle school. They are all trying out for the middle school's soccer team, and they're pretty confident that The Formidable Four will all make the team. But once the tryouts begin, Albert, the tribal-school superstar, plays like a second stringer. Murphy's new friend, Molly, is determined to help the boys find out what's wrong with Albert, but when they discover the truth, they realize that Albert is playing a whole different game.
Junior Canadian Ranger Tommy Toner has a terrible secret. During the annual JCR summer camp in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, he plays a prank which has unexpected and destructive results. Ashamed and afraid of what people will think, he keeps quiet, even though the guilt eats away at him. Tommy and his old friends Colly and Jaz team up to take part in a JCR competition at camp. They decide to search on horseback for the legendary Bushman, a Sasquatch-like creature who has been sighted near Whitehorse. But is the Bushman real or is he simply a terrifying creature of myth and legend? What Tommy and his friends discover puts all their lives in danger, and only the truth can save them.
Meet Justine McKeen, the Queen of Green. She talks a little too much, bosses a little too much and tells the truth, just not all at once. She's trying to save the planet, one person at a time, and when she decides to get something done, it's a lot of fun. In the fourth book of the Justine McKeen series, Justine finds a stray cat and her kittens living off food in the school Dumpster. Eager to reduce waste and save animals in need, Justine comes up with a plan. Can she convince grumpy Mr. Raymond, the cafeteria manager, to put her plan into action?
Nathan has always loved animals and longs for a pet. When a baby squirrel shows up at Nathan's door, he wonders what could have happened to its mother. It isn't long before his family discovers six more orphaned baby squirrels in need of food and shelter. With help from Batcat, a neighborhood cat who is fed by many but owned by no one, Nathan learns to care for the squirrels. But all babies must leave the nest eventually. Will Nathan finally find a pet to call his own?
This unique picture book was inspired by the stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr, discovered by chance by Canadian children's writer Margriet Ruurs. The author was immediately impressed by the strong narrative quality of Mr. Badr's work, and, using many of Mr. Badr's already-created pieces, she set out to create a story about the Syrian refugee crisis. Stepping Stones tells the story of Rama and her family, who are forced to flee their once-peaceful village to escape the ravages of the civil war raging ever closer to their home. With only what they can carry on their backs, Rama and her mother, father, grandfather and brother, Sami, set out to walk to freedom in Europe. Nizar Ali Badr's stunning stone images illustrate the story. Orca Book Publishers is pleased to offer this book as a dual-language (English and Arabic) edition.
When it comes to explaining physical, cultural and religious differences to children, it can be difficult to know where to begin. What Makes Us Unique? provides an accessible introduction to the concept of diversity, teaching children how to respect and celebrate people's differences and that ultimately, we are all much more alike than we are different. Additional questions at the back of the book allow for further discussion.
Separation and divorce are difficult on the entire family. Often young children blame themselves or are unsure of their place in the family if these events occur. Child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts designed the Just Enough series to empower parents/caregivers to start conversations with young ones about difficult or challenging subject matter.
Danny and his friends, Anita, Petou and Marcel, are typical prairie youngsters hockey mad. The four are always playing road hockey or involved in a game of shinny on the community rink. One day a town team, the Wolves, is formed. The friends are overjoyed, but when the time comes to choose the team, only Marcel is picked. The other three friends are not chosen; Anita is a girl, Petou is too small and Danny cannot skate. It is the biggest disappointment of Danny's life. But near the end of the season, the regular goalie is injured and Danny is asked to replace him. If the Wolves can win the game, they will make the playoffs! This is Danny's chance to prove that even though he can't wear a pair of skates, he can still play the game.
The Great Bear Rainforest is a majestic place full of tall trees, huge bears and endless schools of salmon. Award-winning photographer and author Ian McAllister's luminous photographs illustrate the story of a lone wolf who swims to one of the small islands that dot the rainforest's coast. The island provides him with everything he needs deer, salmon, fresh water everything, that is, but a mate. When a female wolf arrives on the island's rocky shores, she and he start a family and introduce their pups to the island's bounty.
What happens when one small boy picks up one small piece of litter? He doesn't know it, but his tiny act has big consequences. From the minuscule to the universal, What Matters sensitively explores nature's connections and traces the ripple effects of one child's good deed to show how we can all make a big difference.
The rooster has been kidnapped by the fox. What is the little hen to do? Go to the shed and build a paper wagon, that's what. With two Herculean mice in place of horses, the little hen heads for the fox's house deep in the forest. On the way, she is joined by a cat, a brick, a needle and a hairy spider, all desperate for a ride. Will they be able to complete the rescue? This is a retelling of a Dutch fairy tale.
Sam, a seven-year-old boy, is devastated when his mother leaves him for two weeks on his grandfather's ranch. Grandpa has a lot of rules, and Sam isn't happy about having to stay with him. But Sam's time on the ranch isn't all bad. He learns to ride a horse and also discovers some surprising things about his father, who died when Sam was a baby. When Sam is forced to overcome his fear of riding in order to help rescue Grandpa, Sam grows to appreciate both his grandpa and life on the ranch.
Nine-year-old Skye has always had a fascination with flying. She’d love to be a pilot someday, like both of her parents, but deep down she really wishes she could be a bird. When Skye’s parents take her to Costa Rica, she is thrilled about all of the beautiful exotic birds she’ll get to see. What she doesn’t realize is that her parents have three big surprises planned, and each will offer her a different opportunity to feel what it’s like to fly. From snorkeling with baby sea turtles to parasailing out on the open ocean to zip-lining through the Costa Rican rainforest, Skye will have more than one chance to fly like a bird before this trip of a lifetime is through
One spring, a nine-year-old Cree boy is visited by a master soapstone carver named Lindy, who gives him four pieces of soapstone. The primary secret to carving, the boy learns, is recognizing that each piece of soapstone already holds its true form inside. Lindy teaches the boy to listen to the soapstone and look to the world around him for signs as to what to carve. As the seasons change, the young boy’s experiences lend him opportunities to develop his carving skills and become attuned to the signs around him. He eagerly awaits the following spring, which will bring Lindy’s return and a chance to show off his carvings.
When an osprey nest atop an electrical pole catches fire, the whole town of Waterton loses power. Being a park warden’s daughter, Jenna (whom everyone calls Cricket) is there at the scene, where she finds three abandoned baby ospreys. Caring for the chicks proves to be challenging for Cricket. The birds are noisy, hungry and very picky eaters. But when she discovers that the power company is building a new anti-nesting device on the electrical pole, Cricket has an even bigger problem. How will she reunite the baby birds with their parents without a place for them to build a nest?
In their fourth adventure together, Jake and his younger brother, Tommy, visit their grandparents' farm, Thunder Creek Ranch. When Jake spots a kid on the neighbor's farm, he goes over to investigate and meets Cory McNash, a city kid. Cory thinks he's tough and likes to brag. He offers Jake a ride on a quad bike, and Jake can't resist. When Cory leaves a gate open and a young calf chases Tommy over the creek and into the woods, Jake and Cory follow on the quad. There's a storm coming, and they soon discover why the trickle of water in the creekbed is called Thunder Creek. The boys are stranded, and the tiny creek in now a raging torrent too dangerous to cross
Kids all over the world help collect seeds, weed gardens, milk goats and herd ducks. From a balcony garden with pots of lettuce to a farm with hundreds of cows, kids can pitch in to bring the best and freshest products to their families' tables and to market. Loaded with accessible information about the many facets of farming, Down to Earth takes a close look at everything from what an egg carton tells you to why genetic diversity matterseven to kids
Trying to land a spot on the South Side Middle School football team isn't the biggest challenge Matt Hill faces in the third installment of this popular series. Besides catching passes and dodging defenders, Matt also has to deal with the return of his estranged father following a ten-year absence. But while Matt comes to grips with forgiving his father and gets used to having him around, he must also help a teammate deal with the damage inflicted by his own overbearing and sometimes violent dad. Full of the exciting sports action that marked the first two volumes of the South Side Sports series, First and Ten is a tale of choices made and lessons learned, both on and off the field. Book 3 in the series.
Mary is certain that her parents are giving her new shoes for Christmas, but the Depression has hit her Saskatchewan farming family hard. Mary tries to hide her disappointment when she receives a crude homemade doll instead. She ends up liking the doll much more than she expects, but the doll fuels the rivalry between Mary and her older sister, Judith. Then, when the doll disappears a few weeks later during a snowstorm, Mary and Judith's relationship changes once again.
Yossi Mendelsohn works hard to help his family survive after they flee Russia to find a better life in Montreal. He sells newspapers and carries bundles from the garment factory. Yossi longs to play "le hockey" with the French boys, but he has no skates. When his father falls ill and his sister and her fianc organize a walkout at the factory, Yossi's dream of lacing on skates seems farther away than ever.
Robin can hardly wait for her cousin April and her Aunty Liz to come to the ranch for Christmas. When a devastating car accident sends Aunty Liz to the hospital for several months, Robin can't help but be overjoyed to learn that April will live with Robin and her family while her mother is recuperating. But April has changed, and Robin must deal with April's growing anger and resentment at being forced to leave her injured mother and her life in the city. Then Robin's little sister, Molly, disappears during a blizzard, and Robin and April's friendship faces the ultimate test.
